The Ethernet cables, Switches and Network related sound thread. Share your listening experience only.

[audiobomber]

doesn’t have the higher end components that the Teradak or LHY does. Don’t really care who designed it.

Nonsense, the parts quality of the ER and oMD are top notch, and designed from scratch for audio, unlike others, who simply modify a generic switch. And there is the flexibility to add your choiceof power supply.

I had an LHY SW-10 in house for a week. The ER with a basic Zero-Zone equals the SW-10. With the Teddy Pardo LPS I use now, the ER is better. And the oMD is upgraded vs. the fiber port in the ER.

I have a friend with an SW-10 and an ER with Pardo MiniTeddy LPS. He was using the ER to send an optical signal to the LHY, ahead of an Antipodes K50 and Tambaqui, because he assumed the SW-10 was the better component. I finally convinced him to switch them around, putting the ER on the system end of the network. He won't be going back.

There's a similar experience related here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/eth...ning-experience.913239/page-114#post-17834804

 

[audiobomber]

He doesn’t need it.
He has fiber going from router directly to streamer. Plus who wants to wait 45 more years for the Ether regen 2 lol

It is pretty well established that an audiophile switch improves sound quality, even where it is not necessarily needed.

 

[audiobomber]

ER parts:

 

[TRHH]

I think better to use LPS on cleaner side than battery pack.

Than you don't have any galvanic isolation from the mains.

Torben

 

[kumar402]

Than you don't have any galvanic isolation from the mains.

Torben

You want to avoid ground loop, right?
Either connect the LPS to same power strip as other component or use short UTP cable

 

[TRHH]

You want to avoid ground loop, right?
Either connect the LPS to same power strip as other component or use short UTP cable

No, I want to avoid noise from the main (Decoupling the power supply from the mains). I good power bank does that.

Torben

 

[camrector]

Nonsense, the parts quality of the ER and oMD are top notch, and designed from scratch for audio, unlike others, who simply modify a generic switch. And there is the flexibility to add your choiceof power supply.

I had an LHY SW-10 in house for a week. The ER with a basic Zero-Zone equals the SW-10. With the Teddy Pardo LPS I use now, the ER is better. And the oMD is upgraded vs. the fiber port in the ER.

I have a friend with an SW-10 and an ER with Pardo MiniTeddy LPS. He was using the ER to send an optical signal to the LHY, ahead of an Antipodes K50 and Tambaqui, because he assumed the SW-10 was the better component. I finally convinced him to switch them around, putting the ER on the system end of the network. He won't be going back.

There's a similar experience related here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/eth...ning-experience.913239/page-114#post-17834804

We are not talking about a switch we are talking about a fmc. The Teradak and LHY have a OCXO clock whereas the Sonore has a cheap femto clock.
psilonaut doesn’t need a fmc because he has fiber output on the router and input on the dac.

 

[camrector]

It is pretty well established that an audiophile switch improves sound quality, even where it is not necessarily needed.

Please explain how an extra component, with an entire separate power supply with copper, grounds, not galvanically isolated etc, would improve or be superior than a direct fiber to fiber connection.

 

[Boomboy]

The gustard n18 pro is up and running . New upgraded gustard fuse ( 5 x 20mm 630ma )
New furutech power cable ..new lmr-400 clock cable .it's heavy like the U18 .
Probably needs some settling time .. i was only listening for 20mins before I left for work

 

[Psilonaught]

He doesn’t need it.
He has fiber going from router directly to streamer. Plus who wants to wait 45 more years for the Ether regen 2 lol

Yeah, I refuse to believe that adding unnecessary links to my pure fiber chain would improve the sound. This setup is new to me, but I am experiencing a total lack of digital noise or glare, and I feel I am now pretty close to a very good analogue sounding digital front end. In fairness the Rose + OCXO weren't cheap so they should sound amazing! But my experiment in fiber connections has definitely created a noticeable improvement.

All I have done is the below but it appears to be highly effective.

Nighthawk X10 powered by a 5A 19 LPS set to wireless bridge mode (taking a signal from my Linksys Velop Mesh) > FTLF1318P3BTL > CommScope LC-LC > FTLF1318P3BTL > Rose RS120

Why adding a switch or FMC in between as an extra link would improve things further is beyond me. Less is more, like good

 

[audiobomber]

Why adding a switch or FMC in between as an extra link would improve things further is beyond me. Less is more, like good

In analog audio, you would be correct. With network audio, a switch can clean and reclock the data stream, which will improve the sound. Adding a high quality audiophile switch between a WAP and network player will sound better.
https://www.alpha-audio.net/review/a-very-deep-dive-into-network-switches-listening-and-measuring/

 

[audiobomber]

Please explain how an extra component, with an entire separate power supply with copper, grounds, not galvanically isolated etc, would improve or be superior than a direct fiber to fiber connection.

The ER is designed specifically for this situation. Connect to it via fiber, connect to the streamer via copper, which is completely isolated by the ER moat.

 

[audiobomber]

We are not talking about a switch we are talking about a fmc. The Teradak and LHY have a OCXO clock whereas the Sonore has a cheap femto clock.
psilonaut doesn’t need a fmc because he has fiber output on the router and input on the dac.

I've used consumer grade switches and FMC's, in my audio network, from TP-Link, Netgear and 10GTek, with stock and upgraded PSUs. I own an opticalModule Deluxe v2, Silent Angel N8 and an EtherRegen, with linear power supplies. I have had a Silent Angel N16 and an LHY SW-10 in-house for extended listening. The ER beats the Silent Angel switches, and depending on power supply, can match or exceed the SW-10 in sound quality. What is your experience? Or have you simply formed your opinions based on reading specs?

 

[camrector]

Adding a high quality audiophile switch between a WAP and network player will sound better.

This isn’t proven. Any switch with sound better because of low noise .Exactly the conclusion drawn from the Alpha Audio guys.

A better implementation is to create a “clean” side with your audio gear (feed by fiber and using the smallest copper or silver LAN cable possible) and a “dirty side” with your network gear (modem, router, cpu, switch) far away from your audio gear.
Thats where the ER fails. As a switch on the “dirty side” it works but you can’t run fiber out. Still need a FMC. If using on the “clean side” and fiber as an input then the switch ports are useless because you wouldn’t want your dirty network components plugged in so close to your sensitive audio gear. Moat or not.
Put a fiber port on the ER output and the device is now useful.

I currently use a Cisco switch with linear power supply and a fiber port on the “dirty side” about 30ft away from my listening position. It is clean and transparent and doesn’t falsely color the music like many audiophile switches that I’ve tried do. That feeds the TeraDac OCXO FMC on the “clean side” then my own 12in 20awg solid silver CAT5 cable feeds the A26.
Even implementing cheap FMCs have made high end audio switches the weak link in a network audio system.
I highly suggest you upgrade!

 

[audiobomber]

This isn’t proven. Any switch with sound better because of low noise .Exactly the conclusion drawn from the Alpha Audio guys.

A better implementation is to create a “clean” side with your audio gear (feed by fiber and using the smallest copper or silver LAN cable possible) and a “dirty side” with your network gear (modem, router, cpu, switch) far away from your audio gear.

That describes my system. NAS > copper > Silent Angel N8 > copper > oMD > 15 meters fiber > ER > copper > PlayPoint

Thats where the ER fails. As a switch on the “dirty side” it works but you can’t run fiber out. Still need a FMC. If using on the “clean side” and fiber as an input then the switch ports are useless because you wouldn’t want your dirty network components plugged in so close to your sensitive audio gear. Moat or not.
Put a fiber port on the ER output and the device is now useful.

Wrong. The ER isolates via the moat.